Afterburner device with deflector means



June 27, 1967 s. GUNTER 3,327,480

AFTERBURNER DEVICE WITH DEFLECTOR MEANS Filed Aug. 6, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. v.2 ul 2 1 BY June 27, 1967 s. GUNTER AFTERBURNEH DEVICE WITH DEFLECTOR MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 6, 1965 INVENTOR. 57 di/-// 114 C W/f,

June 27, 1967 s. GUNTER AFTERBURNER DEVICE WITH DEFLECTOR MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 6, 1965 R a 0 m m w M m W 0 S June 27, 1967 5, GUNTER AFTERBURNER DEVICE WITH DEFLECTOR MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 6, 1965 INVENTOR. Sim/rim" 'i'n 'r United States Patent 3,327,480 AFTERBURNER DEVICE WITH DEFLECTOR MEANS Siegfried Giinter, Munich-Grafelfing, Germany, assignor to Ernst Heinkel Aktiengesellschaft, Stuttgart-Zutfenhausen, Germany Filed Aug. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 477,977 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 8, 1964, H 53,484 17 Claims. (Cl. 60-232) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A jet engine having an afterburner, a jet stream deflecting surface and a water injection device wherein water is injected into the jet stream only when said deflecting surface is in a jet stream deflecting position.

The present invention relates to an afterburner device with mechanical deflector means, and more specifically to an afterburner device with cooled deflector means.

Jet driven airplanes are usually provided with an afterburner device. In order to reduce the starting path of a jet propelled airplane, respectively to permit a substantially vertical start or landing of the jet propelled airplane, it has been already suggested to provide the afterburner device with deflector means which deflect the stream of hot gases passing therethrough in downward direction.

The extreme high temperatures of the jet stream cause considerable problems in jet drives, and even though the jet drive is continuously cooled by the air passing therethrough, it is still one of the main problems in building a jet drive to find suitable materials withstanding the high temperatures they are subjected to.

This problem is further considerably increased in a jet drive in which the jet stream is deflected. The jet stream will impinge on the deflecting surface of the deflector means and thereby transmit part of its energyto the de-. flecting surface, whereby the latter is additionally heated. In addition, due to the limited available space, the distance at which the deflecting surface can be arranged downstream of the burner means in the afterburner device is limited, so that in all practically possible constructions there will be a substantial amount of unburned fuel. particles in the region of the deflecting surface. These particles will be concentrated in the region of the deflecting surface due to the centrifugal force acting thereon, whereby the efliciency of the arrangement will be reduced and the temperature on the deflecting surface further increased.

In order to overcome this difiiculty it has'already been suggested to blow cooling airinto the curved portion of the afterburner device and according to a known suggestion this cooling air is taken from the compressor of the jet engine. However, this suggested arrangement has not been successful. The cooling air increased combustion of the unburned fuel particles which are concentrated in the region of the deflecting surface, resulting in a more intense combustion in this region and thereby to an increase of the temperature of the deflecting surface.

Is has alsobeen suggested to provide by injecting of water in the combustion chamber of a turbojet cooling of blades of the turbine and to obtain at the same time a temperature equalization by increase of the thrust due to increase of the acting gas weight. This suggestion has however been soon abandoned because an effective reduction of the temperature of the turbine blades required such a great amount of cooling water that the suggested construction could not be successfully carried out in practice. An additional problem was created by the ne- 3,327,489 Patented June 27, 1967 cessity to distribute the cooling water, which when injected will suddenly evaporate, uniformly over the whole crosssection of the combustion chamber to prevent dis- :turbance of the stoichiometric equilibrium. The required great amount of cooling water also did considerably affect the combustion process.

The present invention aims to overcome the difficulties so far encountered in an attempt to properly cool the deflecting surfaces of an afterburner device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an afterburner device having a deflecting surface for deflecting the stream of hot gases passing therethrough in which the deflecting surface is properly cooled.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide for an afterburner device of the aforementioned kind in which the deflecting surface thereof is cooled with a cooling liquid.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an afterburner device in which the deflecting surface is cooled with a cooling liquid and in which a minimum of cooling liquid is required for the proper cooling of the deflecting surface.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide for an afterburner device of the aforementioned kind which is composed of relatively few and simple parts so that the afterburner device may be constructed at reasonable cost and will stand up properly under extended use.

With these objects in view, the afterburner device according to the present invention, arranged downstream of the main jet engine of an airplane, mainly comprises a burner chamber means including burner means and deflector means having at least one deflecting surface arranged downstream of the burner means and being movable between an inactive position and an active deflecting position in which the deflecting surface thereof is inclined to the stream of hot gases passing through the burner chamber means for deflecting the gas stream, means operatively connected to the deflector means for moving the latter between the positions thereof, and injector means for injecting a cooling liquid into the stream of hot gases deflected by the deflecting surface when the deflector means is in the active deflecting position.

The injector means are preferably moveable between an open and a closed position for injecting, when in said open position, a cooling liquid into the chamber means, for cooling the deflecting surface and the arrangement includes further means operatively connected to the movgases will be deflected in a downwardly inclined arc and the injector means are arranged in such a manner to inject the cooling liquid substantially in the direction of the curvature of the deflected gas stream. The injector means are preferably in the form of a plurality of injection nozzles arranged on the convex of the curved deflector means.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

portion is shown in FIG. 1 III the aligned forward drive position.

FIG. 2 is a side view similar to that shown in FIG. 1, showing the jet drive in the rear portion of the airplane in a deflecting position assisting the vertically arranged jet drive in the front portion thereof during or landing of the airplane;

FIG. 3 is a schematic, partly sectioned side view of the jet drive shown'in FIG. 1 in the rear portion of the airplane, with the afterburner device thereof shown in the aligned position;

FIG. 4 is a schematic partially sectioned side view similar to FIG. 3 and showing a midification of the afterburner device;

FIG. 5 is a partially sectioned side view similar to FIG. 3 and showing the afterburner device in the deflected position and illustrating also further details of the arrangement;

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross section taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partially sectioned side view similar to FIG. 4 and showing the afterburner device in the deflected position and illustrating also further details of the arrangement; and

FIG. 9 is a cross section taken along the line R IX of FIG. 8.

FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically illustrate an airplane 1 adapted to start in a substantially vertical direction and provided in its front portion thereof with a pair of lifting jet engines 2 which are in operation only during vertical start or landing of the airplane. In the rear portion of the airplane 1 are arranged one or a plurality of jet drives, each including an air inlet channel 3, a main jet engine 4 and an afterburner device 5 provided with deflector means. In the position as shown in FIG. 1 the jet engine in the rear portion of the airplane 1 is adjusted for substantially horizontal flight, whereas in FIG. 2 the deflector means of the afterburner device 5 are turned to a downwardly directed deflecting position, assisting thereby the vertical jet drive 2 in the front portion of the airplane 1 during substantially vertical start or landing of the airplane.

FIGS. 3 and 5-7 illustrate the main jet drive 4, and especially the afterburner device 5 cooperating therewith in further detail. The main jet engine 4 is shown in the form of a turbojet of known construction and the specific construction of the main jet engine 4 does not form part of the present invention and engine 4 is therefore only schematically illustrated in these figures. The afterburner, device 5 arranged downstream of the main jet engine 4 includes a first tubular member 7 communicating at one end thereof with the outlet end of the main jet engine 4, and arranged with the latter along a common axis. The first tubular member 7 has at the other end thereof an end edge 6 inclined to the common axis along which the main jet engine 4 and the first member .7 of the afterburner device 5 are arranged. Burner means 21 are arranged in the first tubular member 7 adjacent the one end thereof and the burner means include a plurality of injection nozzles arranged as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 circumferentially spaced from each other along two concentric conduits coaxial with the axis of the member 7 and supplied with fuel in a manner as will be described later on. The afterburner device 5 includes further a second tubular member having a curved portion or hood 9 and a tail end portion 8 aflixed to the curved portion at the downstream end thereof. The second tubular member 8, 9 is pivotally mounted on pivot means 10 fixed for instance by a bracket 10' to the first tubular member 7 moveable relative thereto between an aligned position, as shown in FIG. 3, in which the tail end 8 of the second member is aligned along a common axis with the first member 7 and in which the bond portion 9 extends over the downstream end of the first tubu- 4 lar member, and a deflecting position, as shown-in FIG. 5, in which the front edge 11 of the curved hood portion 9 of the second tubular member is in abutting relationship with the end edge 6 of the first tubular member 7. A plurality of resilient flaps 12 closely arranged along the edge 6 of the first tubular member 7 and biased in radially outward direction serve to provide a proper seal between the end edge- 6 of the tubular member 7 and the end edge 11 of the curved portion 9 of the second tubular member in the deflected position as shown in FIG. 5, and these flaps will also engage the tail end portion 8'of the second tubular member in the aligned position, as shown in FIG. 3, to provide a proper seal between the first and the second tubular member.

The hot gases emanating from the turbojet 4 and as well as the hot gases produced by the burner 21 will impinge, when the second member 8, 9 is in the deflected position as shown in FIG. 5 on the deflecting surface 14 of the curved portion 9 of the second tubular member and will deflected thereby in downward direction.

Injector means are provided for injecting a cooling liquid, for instance cooling water in to the deflected stream of hot gases. The injector means comprise preferably a plurality of injecting nozzles 15 arranged in a plurality of rows spaced from each other as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. As can be seen from FIG. 5, one row of injection nozzles 15 is arrange don the first member 7 adjacent to the end edge '6 thereof, whereas two rows of nozzles 15 are arranged on the curved portion 9 of the second member of the afterburner device. The nozzles are supplied With cooling liquid in a manner as will be described in further detail later on. The nozzles 15 are arranged in each row circumferentially spaced from each other as best shown in FIG. 7 and the general arrangement of the rows of nozzles and the nozzles in each row is made such that the nozzles, when cooling liquid is supplied thereto, will inject the cooling liquid in the deflected curved stream of hot'gases passing through the afterburner device substantially in the direction of the curvature 'of the curved stream of hot gases. As can be seen from FIG. 5 the nozzles 15 are arranged on the convex side of the curved hood portion 9 of the second annular member of the afterburner device.

When the second member of the afterburner device 5 is in the deflecting position, as shown in FIG. 5 there will occur a concentration of unburned fuel particles in the region'of the deflecting surface 14 of the second member of the afterburner device. When a cooling liquid, preferably cooling Water is injected through the nozzles 15 in the burner chamber of the afterburnerv device, the cooling water will rapidly evaporate and rapidly cool thereby the deflecting surface 14 and expedite combustion of the unburned particles. Cooling water is injected through the nozzles 15 only when the second member of the afterburner device is in the deflecting position as shown in FIG. 5, and injection of cooling water through the nozzles 15 is stopped when the second member is moved from the deflecting position as shown in FIG. 5 to the aligned position as shown in FIG. 3.

This stopping and starting of flow of cooling water is produced according to the present invention in a fully automatic manner during turning of the second member of the afterburner device between the deflecting and the aligned positions thereof in a manner as will be described below.

The supply of fuel to the burner 21, the means for moving the second annular member of the afterburner device between the aligned and the deflected position, and

the means for supplying cooling water to the nozzles 15 i are schematically illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. As can be seen from FIG. 5 the fuel for the burner 21 of the afterburner device is supplied from a fuel container 16 with pressure pump 19 through a valve 20 and further pipe sections into the annular pipe sections on which the nozzles of the burner 21 are arranged as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Cooling liquid is pumped from a tank 22 by means of a low pressure pump 23 over a valve 24 into a pressure equalizing tank 25, which communicates with a high pressure pump 26 pumping the cooling liquid over a valve 27 and over a turnable pipe coupling 28 into bow-shaped branch pipes 28 on the curved portions of which the injection nozzles 15 are arranged.

The moving means for moving the second member 8, 9 of the afterburner device between the aligned position as shown in FIG. 3 and the deflected position as shown in FIG. 5 include preferably a hydraulic jack 29, the cylinder of which is pivotally connected at one end thereof to the first member 7 of the afterburner device, whereas the piston rod of the hydraulic jack 29 is pivotally connected at its outer end to the curved portion 9 of the second member of the afterburner device 5. The moving means include further a pump 45 which feeds pressure fluid over slide valve 32 of known construction into the cylinder of the hydraulic jack in such a manner that during a first position of the slide valve 32 the pressure fluid is fed in one end of the hydraulic jack and discharged from the other end thereof to cause expansion of the hydraulic jack 29 and thereby moving of the second member 8, 9 to the deflecting position, whereas in a second position of the slide valve 32 the flow of liquid through the conduits connecting the valve 32 with the cylinder of the hydraulic jack 29 is reversed so that the hydraulic jack is moved to the contracted position thereof moving thereby the second member of the afterburner device 5 to the aligned position as shown in FIG. 3.

The control arrangement illustrated in FIG. 5 includes also an operating lever 30 to be operated by the pilot of the airplane or by an autopilot. The lever 30 is pivotally connected at one end thereof to a fixed support and intermediate its ends to the valves 20 and 24 to move the latter during turning of the lever in one or the other direction between an open and a closed position. When the valves 20 and 24 are moved to the open position fuel will be supplied from the fuel container 16 to the burner 21 of the afterburner device and cooling liquid will be pumped from the cooling liquid container 22 into the pressure equalizing tank 25.

Subsequently thereto a second lever 31 operatively connected to the valve 27 and to the slide valve 32 is turned by the pilot or an autopilot to a position in which the valve 27 is opened and the slide valve 32 is moved into the aforementioned first position so that pressure fluid is fed into the cylinder of the hydraulic jack 29 in a manner to cause expansion of the hydraulic jack 29, to move thereby the second member 8, 9 to the deflected position as shown in FIG. 5, while at the same time cooling liquid is fed to the injection nozzles 15 and injected into the interior of the burner chamber formed by the two members of the afterburner device. The turnable pipe coupling 28 may be constructed in a known manner as an additional valve gradually opening during turning of the branch conduits 28 mounted on the curved portion 9 of the second member when the latter is turned from the aligned to the deflected position and vice versa.

A second embodiment of the afterburner device according to the present invention is schematically illustrated in FIGS. 4, 8 and 9. The afterburner device of the em bodiment illustrated in the FIGS. 4, 8 and 9 include a first plurality of substantially wedge-shaped tubular members 29, 31 and 33 having end edges inclined with respect to each other and being arranged spaced from each other and pivotable with respect to each other about pivot axes substantially normal to the axes of said members, and a second plurality of. substantially wedge-shaped tubular members 30 and 32 respectively arranged between the spaced members 29, 31 and 33 and each rotatable with respect thereto about its own axis and forming with the members 29, 31 and 33 an elongated burner chamber. In a first position, as shown in FIG. 4, all of the members are aligned along a common axis with the longer sides of the turnable members 30 and 32 aranged between the shorter sides of the members 29, 31 and 33, respectively. The members 29, 31 and 33 are not rotatable about their axes, but the member 29 is fixedly connected at its upstream end to the downstream end of the jet engine 4, and the member 31 is connected on the one hand to the member 29 and on the other hand to the member 33 by connecting means 34 and 35 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 permitting these members to tilt with respect to each other, but preventing rotation of the member about their axes. The arrangement includes further moving means for turning the turnable members 30 and 32 about their axes relative to the members 29, 31 and 33. These moving means include a motor 36, which is preferably in the form of an hydraulic motor, of any known constructions, carrying on the drive shaft thereof a pinion 37 for rotation with the drive shaft and meshingwith a curved rack 38 fixed to the turnable member 30 in the regionof one end edge thereof as shown in FIG. 8. A second curved rack 42 is fixed to the member 30 adjacent the other end edge thereof, whereas the member 32 has fixed thereto an additional curved rack 43 in the region as shown in FIG. 8. A gear 39 turnably mounted on the member 31 meshes on one side thereof with the rack 42 and on the other side with an idler gear 41 also turnably mounted on the member 31. The idler gear 41 meshes with one side of an additional gear 40 also turnably mounted on the member 31, and the gear 40 meshes at the other side thereof with the rack 43 provided on the member 32. It will be obvious that the described arrangement will cause during turning of the member 30 by themotor 36, the pinion 37 and the rack 38 in one direction, turning of the member 32 in a direction opposite to the direction the member 30 is turned. 7

It will be further obvious that during turning of the motor 36 in one direction the members 29 -33 will be moved from the aligned position shown in FIG. 4 to the deflecting position shown in FIG. 8, whereas during turning of the motor 36 'in'the opposite direction, the members 29-33 will be moved from the deflection position as shown in FIG. 8 to the aligned position as shown in FIG. 4. It is to be understood that the members 29-33 are connected at adjacent edges thereof in such a manner permitting rotation of thernembers 30 and 32 relative to the members 29, 31 and 33 while holding adjacent edges of the members in substantially sealed relationship to each other. For instance each of the members may have along its edges a radial outwardly directed flange and adjacent flanges may be connected to each other turnable with respect to each other by an annular U-shaped member encompassing the flanges, with appropriate sealing means and/or antifriction means provided in the connection. p

The hydraulic motor 36 is provided with pressure fluid from a pump 45 connected over a slide valve 32 to the hydraulic mot-or 36. The slide valve 32 is constructed in a known manner to feed pressure fluid in one position of the slide valve in one direction into the hydraulic motor 36 and to discharge the pressure fluid in the opposite direction therefrom to cause. rotation of the hydraulic motor in one direction and to cause rotation of the hydraulic motor 36 in the opposite direction when the slide valve 32 is-moved to a second "position. The arrangement for supplying fuel to the burner 21 of the afterburner device and for supplying cooling liquid to the nozzles 15 of the injector means is substantially identical to the arrangement of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5. Fuel is supplied to the burner 21 from -a fuel container 16 over a low pressure pump 17, a pressure equalizing tank 18, a high pressure pump 19 and over the valve 20 located in the conduit connecting the container 16 to the burner 21. Cooling liquid is supplied from the tank 22 over the low pressure pump 23, the valve 24 and the pressure equalizing tank 25, the high pressure pump 26 and the additional valve 27 to the turna'ble pipe couplings 44 which communicates with the branched conduits 44' respectively fixed to the members 29 and 32 and along which the nozzles are arranged. An operating lever 30 is connected to the valves and 24- for simultaneously opening and closing the latter and the valves 27 and 32 are connected to an additional operating lever 31.. First the valves 20 and 24 are moved by means of the lever 30 to the open position thereof and subsequently thereto the valves 27 and 32 are operated by the lever 31. The valves 27 and 32 are connected to each other and constructed in such a manner that when the valve 27 is opened the slide valve 32 is moved into a position to supply pressure fluid to the hydraulic motor in such a direction that the latter is rotated to cause movement of the members '29-33 from the aligned position shown in FIG. 4 to the deflecting position shown in FIG. 8 so that when these members are in the deflected position cooling liquid is injected through the nozzles 15 substantially in the direction of the curvature of the curved burner chamber formed by the members 29-33 in the deflected position thereof. When the lever 31 is moved in the opposite direction the position of the valve 32 is reversed causing rotation of the hydraulic motor in a direction opposite to the aforementioned direction and causing thereby the turnable members 30 and 32 to rotate also in opposite direction to move thereby the members 29-33 from the deflected position shown in FIG. 8 to the aligned position shown in FIG. 4, and the'valve 27 is simultaneously closed so that injection of cooling fluid will stop when the members 29-33 are moved back to the aligned position as shown in FIG. 4. The pipe couplings 44 may also be constructed to include an additional valve gradually increasing flow through the conduit portions 44 during turning of the members 29-33 to the deflecting position as shown in FIG. 8 and gradually decreasing flow of cooling fluid through the conduits 44' during turning of the members 29-33 from the deflecting position shown in FIG. 8 to the aligned position as shown in FIG. 4.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of afterburner devices with deflector means, differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an afterburner device having deflector means turnable between an aligned and a deflecting position and including cooling means for cooling the afterburner device in the deflected position, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and having burning chamber means including burner means and deflector means having at least one deflecting surface arranged downstream of said burner means and being movable between an inactive position and an active deflective position in which said deflecting surface is inclined to a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber means for deflecting said gas stream;

means operatively connected to said deflector means for moving the latter between said positions thereof; and injector means for injecting a cooling liquid into said stream of hot gas deflected by said deflecting surface only when said deflector means is in said active deflecting position.

2. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and having burner chamber means including burner means and deflector means having at least one deflecting surface arranged downstream of said burner means and being movable between an inactive position and an active deflective position in which said deflecting surface is inclined to a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber means for deflecting said gas streamj means operatively connected to said deflector means for moving the latter between said positions thereof; injector means downstream of said burner means and movable between an open and a closed position for injecting, when in said position, a cooling liquid into said stream of hot gas deflected by said deflecting surface for cooling said deflecting surface; and means operatively connected to said moving means and said injector means for moving the latter to said open position during movement of said deflector means to said deflecting position and to said closed posi-. tion during movement of said deflector means to said inactive position.

3. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first tubular member communicating at one end thereof with said main jet engine, burner means in said first tubular member, and at least a second tubular member communicating with the other end of said first tubular member and defining therewith an elongated burner chamber, said second tubular member being movable with respect .to saidfirst tubular member between an aligned position in which said members are substantially aligned along a common axis and a deflecting position in which the axis of said second member is inclined relative to that of said first member so as to form a curved burner chamber inwhich a surface portion of said second member deflects a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber; moving means operatively connected to said second member for moving the same between said positions thereof; and injector means downstream of said burner means for injecting a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases for cooling said deflecting surface portion of said second member when the latter is in said deflecting position.

4. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, anafterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first tubular member communieating at one end thereof with said main jet engine, burner means in said first tubular member, and at least a second tubular member communicating with the other end of said first tubular member and defining therewith an elongated burner chamber, said second tubular member being movable with respect to said first tubular member between an aligned position in which said members are substantially aligned along a common axis and a deflecting position in which the axis of said second member is downwardly inclined relative to that of said first mem ber so as to form a downwardly curved burner chamber in which a surface portion of said second member deflects a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber; moving means operatively connected to said second member for moving the same between said positions thereof; and injector means downstream of said burner means for injecting a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases for cooling said deflecting surface portion of said second member when the latter is in said deflecting position.

5. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first tubular member communieating at one end thereof with said main -jet-engine,-burner means in said first tubular member, and at least a second tubular member communicating with the other end of said first tubular member and defining therewith an elongated burner chamber, said second tubular member being movable with respect to said first tubular member between an aligned position in which said members are substantially aligned along a common axis and a deflecting position in which the axis of said second member is downwardly inclined relative to that of said first member so as to form a downwardly curved burner chamber in which a surface portion of said second member deflects a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber; moving means operatively connected to said second member for moving the same between said positions thereof; injector means downstream of said burner means and movable between an open and a closed position for injecting, when in said open position, a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases for cooling said-deflecting surface portion; and means operatively connected to said moving means and to said injector means for moving the latter to said open position during movement of said second member to said deflecting position and to said closed position during movement of said second member to said aligned position.

6. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first tubular member communicating at one end thereof with said main jet engine, burner means in said first tubular member, and at least a Second tubuluar member communicating with the other end of said first tubular member and defining therewith an elongated burner chamber, said second tubular member being movable with respect to said first tubular member between an aligned position in which said members are substantially aligned along a common axis and a deflecting position in which the axis of said second member is downwardly inclined relative to that of said first member so as to form a downwardly curved burner chamber in which a surface portion of said second member deflects a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber; moving means operatively connected to said second member for moving the same between said positions thereof; and injector means downstream of said burner means for injecting a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases for cooling said deflecting surface portion of said second member when the latter is in said deflecting position and forms with said first member a downwardly curved burner chamber, said injector means arranged for injecting the cooling liquid into said downwardly curved burner chamber substantially in direction of the curvature thereof. 1 I

7. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first tubular member communicat ing at one end thereof with said main jet engine, burner means in said first tubular member, and at least a second tubular member communicating with the other end of said first tubular member and defining therewith an elongated burner chamber, said second tubular member being movable with respect to said first tubular member between an aligned position in which said members are substantially aligned along a common axis and a deflecting position in which the axis of said second member is downwardly inclined relative to that of said first member so as to form a downwardly curved burner chamber in which a surface portion of said second member deflects a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber; moving means operatively connected to said second member for moving the same between said positions thereof; and injector means downstream of said burner means for injecting a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases for cooling said deflecting surface portion of said second member when the latter is in said deflecting position and forms with said first member a downwardly curved-burner chamber, saidtinjector means being arranged on the convex side of said curved burner chamber.

8. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first tubular member connected at one end thereof to said main jet engine aligned along a common axis with the latter, and having at the other end thereof an end edge inclined to said axis, burner means in said first tubular member adjacent said one end thereof, a second tubular member downstream of said first member and having a curved portion and a tail end portion fixed to said curved portion and being movable relative to said first member between an aligned position in which said curved portion extends over said other end of said first member and in which said tail end portion is aligned along said common axis with said first member and a deflecting position in which said curved portion is in abutting relationship with said end edge of said first portion and said tail end portion thereof is downwardly inclined to said axis so that said members form a downwardly curved elongated burner chamber whereby a curved surface portion of said second member deflects a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber; moving means operatively connected to said second member for moving the same between said positions thereof; and injector means downstream of said burner means for injecting a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases for cooling said deflecting surface portion of said second member when the latter is in said deflecting position.

9. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first tubular member connected at one end thereof to said main jet engine aligned along a common axis with the latter, and having at the other end thereof an end edge inclined to said axis, burner means in said first tubular member adjacent said one end thereof, a second tubular member downstream of said first member and having a curved portion and a tail end portion fixed to said curved portion and being movable relative to said first member between an aligned position in which said curved portion extends over said other end of said first member and in which said tail end portion is aligned along said common axis'with said first member and a deflecting position in which'said curved portion is in abutting relationship with said end edge of said first portion and said tail end portion thereof is downwardly inclined to said axis so that said members form a downwardly curved elongated burner chamber whereby a curved surface portion of said second member deflects -a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber; moving means operatively connected to said second member for moving the same between said positions thereof; injector means downstream of said burner means and movable between an open and a closed position for injecting, when in said open position a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases; and means operatively connected to said moving means and to said injector means for moving the latter to said open position during movement of said second member to said deflecting position and to said closed position during movement of said second member to said aligned position.

10. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first tubular member connected at one end thereof to said main jet engine aligned along a common axis with the latter, and having at the other end thereof an end edge inclined to said axis, burner means in said first tubular member adjacent said one end thereof, a second tubular member downstream of said first member and having a curved portion and a tail end portion fixed to said curved portion and being movable relative to said first member between an aligned position in which said curved portion extends over said other end of said first member and in which said tail end portion is aligned along said common axis with said first member and a deflecting position in which said curved portion is in abutting relationship with said end edge of said first portion and said tail end portion thereof is downwardly inclined to said axis so that said members form a downwardly curved elongated burner chamber whereby a curved surface portion of said second member deflects a stream of hot gases passing through said burner chamber; moving means operatively connected to said second member for moving the same between said positions thereof; at least two rows of injection nozzles arranged spaced from each other on the convex side of said curved portion of said second member, and the nozzles in each row spaced in circumferential direction from each other, each of said nozzles being movable between an open and a closed position for injecting, when in said open position, a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases; and means operatively connected to said moving means and to said nozzles for moving the latter to said open position during movement of said second member to said deflecting position and to said closed position during movement of said second member to said aligned position.

11. In an airplane as set forth in claim and including an additional row of injection nozzles adjacent said end edge of said first member.

12. In an airplane as set forth in claim 4, wherein said moving means include a liydraulid jack, first conduit means for feeding pressure fluid to opposite ends of said jack and for discharging pressure fluid therefrom, and first valve means in said first conduit means movable between a first position for feeding pressure fluid into one end of said jack and for discharging pressure fluid from the other end thereof to cause expansion of said jack and thereby movement of said second member from said aligned to said deflecting position, and a second position for feeding pressure rfluid into said other end of said jack and for discharging pressure fluid from said one end thereof to cause retraction of said jack and thereby movement of said second member from said deflecting'to said aligned position, and wherein said injector means includes a plurality of nozzles, second conduit means for feeding a cooling liquid to said nozzles, second valve means in said second conduit means movable between an open and a closed position; and control means operatively connected to said first and said second valve for simultaneously moving said second valve to said open position and said first valve to said first position and for simultaneously moving said second valve to said closed position and said first valve to said second position.

13. In an airplane as set forth in claim 12 and including pivot means mounting said second member pivotably movable with respect to said first member, and wherein said pivot means include additional valve means gradually opening said second conduit means during movement of said secondmember from said aligned to said deflecting position and gradually closing said second conduit means during movement of said second member from said deflecting to said aligned position.

14. In an airplane having a main jet engine, in combination, an afterburner device downstream of the main jet engine and including a first plurality of substantially wedge shaped tubular members arranged spaced from each other and pivotable with respect to, each other, and a second plurality of substantially wedge shaped tubular members respectively arranged between said spaced members of said first plurality of members rotatable with respect thereto and forming therewith an elongated burner chamber, said second members being arranged in a first position thereof aligned along a common axis with said members of the first plurality of members and with the longer sides thereof respectively located between the, shorter sides of the members of said first plurality of members; connecting means connecting said members of said first plurality of members tiltable and non-rotatable to each other; moving means for rotating the members of said second plurality of members respectively about their axes relative to the members of said first plurality of members for moving said members from said first aligned position to a second deflecting position in which the axes of successive members are inclined with respect to each other and in which the longer sides of the members of said second plurality of members are respectively located between the longer sides'of the members of first plurality of members and in which said members form an elongated downwardly curved burner chamber having a de- [flecting surface portion deflecting a stream of hot gases passing therethrough in downward direction; and injector means downstream of said burner means for injecting a cooling liquid into said deflected stream of hot gases for cooling said deflecting surface portion of said second member when the latter is in said deflecting position.

15. An airplane as set forth in claim 14, wherein said moving means are constructed and arranged to turn successive members of said second plurality of members in opposite directions.

16. In an airplane as set forth in claim 14, wherein said moving means include a motor fixedly mounted on one of said members of said first plurality of members,

curved rack means extending about each of said members of said second plurality of members, a pinion connected to said motor to be rotated thereby and meshing with the curved rack means on one of the members of said second plurality of members to rotate said one member of said second plurality of members about its axis relative to the members of said first plurality of members, and gear means on the member intermediate a pair of successive members of said second plurality of members and meshing with said curved rack means thereon for turning one of said pair of successive members during rotation of the other in a direction opposite to that in which said other member is turned.

17. In an airplaneas set forth in claim 14, wherein said injector means include a plurality of rows of injector nozzles respectively arranged spaced from each other on at least some of said first plurality of members with the nozzles in each row arranged circumferentially spaced from each other about the axially wider part of the respective member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,702,452 2/ 1955 Taylor 60-261 2,866,313 12/1958 Holl 60-461 3,067,579 12/ 1962 'OIbrich 60232 3,084,508 4/ 1963 Olbrich 60-232 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,070,448 12/ 1959 Germany.

723,310 2/1955 Great Britain.

CARLTON R. CROYLE, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN AIRPLANE HAVING A MAIN JET ENGINE, IN COMBINATION, AN AFTERBURNER DEVICE DOWNSTREAM OF THE MAIN JET ENGINE AND HAVING BURNING CHAMBER MEANS INCLUDING BURNER MEANS AND DEFLECTOR MEANS HAVING AT LEAST ONE DEFLECTING SURFACE ARRANGED DOWNSTREAM OF SAID BURNER MEANS AND BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN IN INACTIVE POSITION AND AN ACTIVE DEFLECTIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID DEFLECTING SURFACE IS INCLINED TO A STREAM OF HOT GASES PASSING THROUGH SAID BURNER CHAMBER MEANS FOR DEFLECTING SAID GAS STREAM; MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID DEFLECTOR MEANS FOR MOVING THE LATTER BETWEEN SAID POSITIONS THEREOF; AND INJECTOR MEANS FOR INJECTING A COOLING LIQUID INTO SAID STREAM OF HOT GAS DEFLECTED BY SAID DEFLECTING SURFACE ONLY WHEN SAID DEFLECTOR MEANS IS IN SAID ACTIVE DEFLECTING POSITION. 